ILM Level 3 CertificateLeadership & Management

You don't need any formal qualifications to enrol on this course.

However, you should be 18+ with at least two years' full-time (or three years' part-time) work experience, and you'll benefit most if you're a current or potential first-line manager.

Your course is fully online.

There are a wide variety of potential units, each worth 1 or 2 credits.

To achieve the Certificate, you'll choose a selection totalling 13 credits.

1-credit units

• Understanding Marketing for Managers
• Understanding Costs and Budgets in an Organisation

2-credit units

• Understanding Leadership
• Understanding the Communication Process in the Workplace
• Solving Problems and Making Decisions
• Understanding Customer Service Standards and Requirements
• Developing Yourself and Others
• Managing Workplace Projects
• Understanding Health and Safety in the Workplace
• Understanding Innovation & Change in the Workplace
• Planning and Allocating Work

For full details of what you’ll learn on each unit, download our ILM course guide.

You'll complete ten assessments in total. These will be either reflective reviews or work-based assignments.

You'll submit these online and they'll be marked by your ILM tutor.

We’re the UK’s most trusted online ILM provider, rated Excellent from more than 8,000 independent student reviews.

We’re also the world’s most experienced online learning provider, having been pioneers in distance learning for 130 years.

Our flexibility, unlimited tutor support, and monthly payment plans make it easy to shape learning around your life.

That’s why every year, thousands of students like you advance their careers with us.

ILM Level 2 qualifications are designed for current or aspiring team leaders and supervisors. They're perfect if you're just starting out in your management career.

You could study the comprehensive Level 2 Certificate or the shorter Level 2 Award.

ILM Level 3 qualifications are for junior and first-line managers. They're ideal if you have (or will have) management responsibilities but have no formal training.

Choose between the wide-ranging Level 3 Certificate or the bite-sized Level 3 Award.

ILM Level 5 qualifications are designed for middle managers and department heads. They're set at undergraduate level and will develop and extend your existing leadership skills.

Study three units on the Level 5 Certificate, or two on the Level 5 Award.

We offer leadership and management qualifications from two world-class awarding bodies, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

Both are highly prestigious, internationally recognised, and will give a huge boost to your skills and career – so how do you choose which one is right for you?

Firstly, it depends on where you are in your management career. We offer the following CMI and ILM qualifications:

• ILM Level 2 courses are for supervisors
• ILM Level 3 courses are for first-line managers
• ILM Level 5 courses and CMI Level 5 courses are for mid-level managers
• CMI Level 7 courses are for senior managers and directors

If you’re a manager choosing between ILM and CMI, there are a few things to consider.

If you’re looking to become a Chartered Manager, then CMI is right for you. The CMI is the only professional body in the world that can bestow Chartered Manager status.

CMI qualifications are also ideal if you want to deep dive into professional leadership theory and practice. You’ll study fewer modules than on an ILM qualification, but you’ll cover each topic in greater depth.

CMI courses are highly strategic in focus, making them perfect if you want to develop your high-level strategic management knowledge.

ILM qualifications, on the other hand, are highly practical, focused on helping you apply your workforce management skills in real-life situations.

They’re great if you want to touch on a broader range of hands-on management topics, as the modules are shorter than CMI, allowing you to study more subjects in less depth.

Still not sure? Get in touch with our course advisors by email, phone, or online chat – we’ll be happy to help.

Right away! When you enrol, you’ll be able to log in to your course and get started within an hour.

There are no set start dates or schedules – everything is shaped around you.

As an ICS Learn student, you'll always have a real person on hand to help you when you need it. From the moment you enrol, you'll have:

• Unlimited support
• Interactive online learning designed by leadership experts
• 24/7 access to the Student Community, your all-in-one learning platform
• Student forums to network and share advice with other learners
• In-house student services team, so you’re never more than a message or phone call away from a helping hand

You'll also have unlimited lifetime access to our Career Hub, giving you thousands of resources to help you impress employers, master critical business skills, and build your dream career. It includes:

• A CV and cover letter builder
• An interview simulator
• Career and work psychology assessments
• In-depth industry and employer profiles
• 350+ employer films with practical advice from hiring managers
• 1000+ short courses, articles and videos on key career skills like negotiating a raise and leading a team

You can take a sneak peek at the Career Hub by signing up for free here.§

If you’re funding the course yourself, our flexible payment plans allow you to spread the cost with monthly instalments. 

If your employer is funding all or part of your course, we can invoice them directly for your course fees – just let your course advisor know and we’ll arrange everything.

We also accept funding through ELCAS for this course. If you’re an Armed Forces member looking to use the Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme, speak to our course advisors for more details.

Get in touch with our ILM Advisors on 0330 127 2134.

They’ll talk through your experience, education and ambitions to make sure you’re choosing the right course, then get you enrolled with a monthly payment plan. 

If you have any disabilities which you think might affect your studies or assessments, please tell your Course Advisor before you enrol so we can advise you on whether reasonable adjustments can be made to accommodate your needs.